ICC Belfast’s Jenni Yau is one of the top young event professionals worldwide

ICC Belfast’s Jenni Yau (née Smart) has been awarded a space on PCMA’s prestigious ‘20 in Their Twenties’ list, celebrating proven leaders within the business events industry.

The Professional Convention Management Association (PCMA) is the world’s largest, most recognised and most respected network of industry leaders.

Since joining the team in 2017, Jenni, orginally from South Belfast, has played a key role in the success of ICC Belfast, particularly helping the organisation navigate successfully through the Covid-19 pandemic. In a time of uncertainty, Jenni was committed to ensuring ICC Belfast remained at the forefront of the industry by providing regular, clear and transparent communication to all colleagues and clients. Through this approach, Jenni successfully retained events worth £17 million economic impact for the city of Belfast, in addition to securing a further 9 events with an economic impact of £12 million.

Over the past year, the need to meet, network and collaborate was greater than ever and in response, ICC Belfast became a hybrid-by-design convention centre. Jenni has been integral to this change, with key projects including devising and executing a virtual site visit and delivering a six-part digital event series to reach target audiences, providing creative solutions to staying connected whilst remaining apart.

Julia Corkey, chief executive, ICC Belfast | Waterfront Hall | Ulster Hall, said: “We are incredibly proud that Jenni has received global recognition as one of the leading industry professionals. A true team player, Jenni is committed to living our organisational values. It has been a privilege for me to watch Jenni’s growth and progression and this award is particularly timely following Jenni’s recent promotion to senior account manager.

“Jenni’s rapid response to Covid-19, coupled with her innovative problem-solving approach and passion for the role, ensures that she continues to offer a first-class experience to all clients and achieve outstanding results for the city of Belfast.

“Jenni has worked exceptionally hard and continues to reflect ICC Belfast’s ambition to become a world-class international convention centre in all aspects of her work. We can’t wait to see her continued growth and success in the business events industry.“

Jenni will travel to Las Vegas in 2022 to receive her award at the PCMA Convening Leaders conference.

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